Workplace Solutions

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Workplace Solutions
Dr Alakananda Banerjee (PT) Head Department of
Physiotherapy and Rehab Max Healthcare Saket
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• Risk factors for work related injuries

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Environmental
Risk factors
Human
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What characteristics of your job put you at risk
for MSDs?
Prolonged, repeated or extreme exposure to
multiple WMSD risk factors can cause damage to a
workers body. Risk Factors include

• Excessive Force
• Vibration
• Compression
• Inadequate Recovery

• Repetition
• Awkward Postures
• Static Postures
• Cold Temperatures

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Awkward postures
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Awkward Positions

• Leaning forward at your desk
• Typing with wrists at an odd angle
• Raising shoulders while typing
• Reaching to use mouse
• Twisting neck to look at monitor or phone
• Lifting objects from below waist or above
  shoulders

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Awkward postures

• Neutral is the optimal position of each
  joint that provides the most strength and control

Awkward or unsupported postures that stretch
physical limits, can compress nerves and irritate
tendons
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Awkward postures

• Repeatedly raising or working with the hand's)
  above the head or the elbow's) above the
  shoulder's) for more than 2 hours per day
• Kneeling or squatting for more than 2 hours total
  per day
• Working with the back, neck or wrist bent or
  twisted for more then 2 hours per day
• Sitting with feet unsupported

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Repetitive MovementsPerforming the same
motion or group of motions excessively.
Excessive repetition of movements can irritate
tendons and increase pressure on nerves
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Static Postures
Static postures, or positions that a worker must
hold for long periods of time, can restrict blood
flow and damage muscles
Before Mechanic maintains a static posture
holding arms and hands elevated while repairing
aircraft
Ergonomic Improvement Creeper supports mechanic
and brings him closer to the task
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Excessive Force

• Typing with too much force or pounding the keys
• Stamping
• Lifting heavy boxes of paper or carrying office
  equipment
• Using improper grip

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Personal Factors Contributing to MSDs?

• Age and Gender
• Hobbies
• Previous Injuries
• Physical Condition
• Medical conditions (diabetes and arthritis)

• Pregnancy
• Obesity
• Medications
• Smoking
• Fatigue

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Signs and Symptoms of MSD

• Painful aching joints, muscles
• Pain, tingling or numbness
• Fingers or toes turning white
• Shooting or stabbing pains
• Swelling or inflammation
• Stiffness or difficulty moving
• Burning sensation
• Pain during the night

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But the good news isThere are simple
ways to help yourself!

• Stage I- injury prevention
• Stage II- injury management/early intervention
• Stage III- chronic injury

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How do you avoid MSDs? Work smarter, not harder!

• Use proper lifting techniques and lift aides
• Ask for assistance with difficult tasks
• Take micro-breaks (stand, stretch, change tasks)
• Maintain a comfortable environment

• Work in neutral postures
• Reduce excessive force repetition
• Keep everything in easy reach and at proper
  heights
• Keep warm
• Minimize static unsupported postures and pressure
  points

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Warning signs

• Tingling or numbness in hands
• Pain sharp, dull or burning sensation
• Stiffness, reduced range of motion in arms,
  wrists
• Clumsiness, loss of grip strength or coordination
• Visual fatigue, watery eyes, dryness.

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Sitting risk factors

• Neutral posture
• Slumped posture

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Reaching/range of motion factors

• Elbow
• Arm/Wrist
• Shoulder
• Back

• Face the object you are reaching for.

• Elbows in

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Watch hand movements
SAFER
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Hand Exercises

• Tightly clench your hand into a fist and release,
  fanning out the fingers. Repeat 3 times

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Computer and desk stretches
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Additional Setup Steps
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Micro-breaks

• Most typing is done in bursts rather than
  continuously. Between these bursts of activity
  you should rest your hands in a relaxed, flat,
  straight posture.
• During a micro-break (lt 2minutes) briefly
  stretch, stand up, move around, or do a different
  work task e.g. make a phone call).
• A micro-break isn't necessarily a break from
  work, but it's a break from the use of a
  particular set of muscles that's doing most of
  the work (e.g. the finger flexors if you're doing
  a lot of typing).

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Chairs
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• Perhaps you find your chair is not particularly
  comfortable and seems to become less so each time
  you plop down upon it.
• Identify chair features that will make your
  seated work more comfortable and productive.

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• Chair
• Adjustments

Seat height
Backrest height
Armrest height
Armrest width
Backrest tilt
Variable backrest stop
Backrest tension
Seat pan depth
Foot ring height
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• Optimally, your chair will have
• an upright locking mechanism,
• a reclining backrest, and
• backrest tension adjustment.
• A variable backrest stop is also
• available on some chair
• models.

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• A chairs seat pan depth should be suited to the
  worker.
• A seat pan that is too short results in increased
  pressure on the buttocks and thighs.

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• A seat pan that is too deep can
• restrict circulation at the knee
• and makes it difficult to attain
• proper lumbar support.
• Many workers may use a chair
• over its useful life. A sliding
• seat pan will provide
• comfortable seating for a wide
• range of individuals.

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• Some chairs have a seat pan tilt option.
• By lowering the front of the seat pan, the lumbar
  spine assumes a posture closer to the neutral
  standing posture - which reduces pressure on the
  lumbar spine.

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• Chairs set on linoleum tile or cement flooring
  should have soft rubber casters (to keep you from
  zooming around too fast).
• Chairs in carpeted areas should have hard plastic
  casters (to keep you from getting bogged down).

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Lifting
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Lifting and carrying

• Check the path of travel or destination of the
  load to make sure it is clear
• Clear the path before picking up the load
• One of the most frequent causes of back injuries
  is falling while carrying a load

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Test weight of load

• Test the weight by lifting a corner of the
  object. If it is too heavy or if the object is an
  odd shape, STOP!

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Push Dont Pull

• Push instead of pull heavy objects whenever
  possible.This puts less strain on the back.

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Lifting

• Tighten the stomach muscles as the lift begins
• Keep your weight centered over your feet.

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Steps to Prevent Back Injuries

• Avoid twisting motion as you move objects

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Lowering load

• Put down as carefully as you picked it up --
  squat straight down using only leg muscles
• Lower load slowly, bending at the knees

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Diagonal lift

• Grip the top outside and bottom inside corners
  (this is the diagonal lift)

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Warm-up exercises

• Prior to lifting, you should warm up your muscles
  with a couple of stretches like hamstring
  stretch

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Warm-up exercises

• side-to-side stretching

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Whats wrong in this picture?

• With knees between the body and the box, the box
  is being lifted too far out from the body.

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Whats wrong in this picture?

• A 10 pound box held close to the body exerts 10
  pounds of pressure on the lower back.
• That same 10 pound box held out from the body
  exerts 100 pounds of pressure on the lower back

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Potential at-risk condition's?

• Right hand on mouse even when not actively
  mousing (median nerve).
• Left lean supporting body weight with arm spine
  out of natural alignment
• Ulnar nerve compression (non-mousing elbow)
• Static muscle loading right shoulder abduction,
  wrist extension, flexed left arm

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Potential at-risk condition's?
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Potential at-risk condition
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Ergonomic hazards - before
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Ergonomic controls - after
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• THANK YOU